I barely repressed my laughter when Remnant shot an arched brow at me.
"How did you know this, my cub?" I peered down at the top of her head where her crown glinted in the dusky twilight.
She swung our hands, happy once again, pulling us forward to follow the snow leopard. "I asked the lands for a path and it told me yes."
"The land speaks to you?" Remnant gasped softly, shooting a concerned look towards me.
"Yep!" Riella hummed.
"What else do the lands say?" I said carefully, watching the sauntering snow leopard ignore our conversation, leading us casually over the next dune.
She tilted her head to the side and then nodded once. "They say to follow Master Healer Jarquinn and that they love your shirt father."
Barking out a short laugh, I squeezed her hand. "It is not for them, it is for my beautiful daughter—” and something else entirely.
The pathway shifted beneath my feet and I stumbled into a curved divot that was not there before. Cursing, I growled down at the lands.
Riella giggled. "They did not like you saying that but say they also agree. I am beautiful."
Smiling, ruffling her hair fondly. Amazed at the child before me. "Little fiend."
"We are here," Jarquinn's voice rang out and the three of us stopped to see a beautiful soft light flickering above the sand no bigger than my hand. Its warm glow illuminated the elegant spotted coat of Jar's cat and it hummed, singing a voice of longing and promise.
"Can you feel that?"Remnant asked through our bond,"it's the same feeling I had earlier, this light wants us to come to it."
I grunted, the song pulling me inward just a Remnant said. It was…peaceful, the same feeling I had always felt when I entered the healing quarters. Like a warm blanket, soothing the storms that raged within us all.
"Jar," I began.
The snow leopard shook his head. "We talk when we are inside."
I peered around us, seeing nothing but sand and the dead end of the silver path we stood upon. "Inside?"
Jarquinn rolled his crystal blue cat eyes again. "Sometimes I do worry about you, Daemon."
My soulmate stepped forward and tilted her head at the warm light. "It's a gateway," she breathed.
Jar nodded. "More or less." Turning towards the light he looked over his shoulder, poised just inches before it. "It is the doorway to my promised peace. You will see them scattered throughout the Eithne should someone want you to visit them."
Pouncing through, he was immediately absorbed by the enchanting glow.
"Ooooo, I wanna go!" Riella cried, yanking on both our hands and dragging us stumbling through the gateway with surprising strength.
"Her shifter powers are manifesting already. The strength, her speed,"I sent to my soulmate before we touched the light.
"We must teach her how to use it to her benefit then, and soon,"Remnant said firmly.
"She will know how to use them when the time is needed. It is not the faeling's powers I would be worried about. It is yours," Jarquinn interrupted our internal thoughts, reading the worry easily on our faces.
Snapping my head up, I stared at my friend, now in his fae form—a fae who I had just seen beheaded by my soulmate only days ago.
He was every bit the ancient fae I remembered. Sky blue robes, blonde hair shining, slanted bright blue eyes staring with so much depth to them that I could get lost trying to understand it.
My gaze shifted to the world surrounding him, surrounding us, and reached out tentatively to a purple wisp that floated right in front of me. It fluttered at my touch, and then rose away intogreat towering trees full of thick glittering foliage. From their wispy leaves, heavy rain drops were frozen in time, reflecting soft beams of light from the warm sun, casting millions of rainbow prisms all around us.
The master healer shook his head exasperatedly and walked forward through the towering oaks that hummed, their branches moving to softly touch the healer in greeting as he walked by. Flowers bloomed from each step Jar took, a trail to follow in the most wondrous of ways.
Riella tugged on my hand, her eyes wide. "I want to be able to do that," she whispered before skipping off in front of me to follow, her little hands trailing over the fragrant petals.
